'The Last of Us' New Mulitplayer

It was just a few days ago actually that i had posted why you shouldn't miss 'The Last of Us' multiplayer and now there giving us even more reason not to miss out on it with a new (free) dlc for another multiplayer mode. Currently there are only two modes with Supply Raid and Survivor now we have the introduction of Interrogation mode.

As i am a big fan of The Last of Us online this just gets me even more excited and the mode does sound pritty damn cool. Basically, the interrogation mode comes down to the usual 2 teams; one team protecting a safe and another trying to break into the safe, assuming its a safe full of supplies for your clan. So what they attackers have to do to find the location of this safe, is to interrogate 5 members of the opposing team to get enough information to find the safe. When the team has located the safe it really turns into a basic death match to kill the other players and get to the safe and get the supplies.

The interrogations themselves are said to be like special execution kills but will take a longer time to actually perform, meaning if you're caught in the act it'll be rather easy to kill you. What im interested in though is how this will work with the end result. For example the modes just now, even if you lose and die so many times, you can still walk away with enough supplies for your clan to survive. I would like to think, if this is a safe full of supplies the losing team would walk away with nothing meaning there clan will lose members making this mode much more tactical than the others as winning is the key factor.

This mode in my opinion works brilliantly with the game and im really excited for it to come out and think most fans of the multiplayer will no doubt be pleased with what naughty dog are bringing to the franchise.

Are you excited for more of 'The Last of us'? and are you hoping for a story mode dlc? let me know in the comments.

Thanks for reading

ZebruhGaming

Concerns about Beyond Two Souls

This is a game im really looking forward to, with big film industry names of Ellen Page and Willem Dafoe its sure to be a big hit when its released, right? Well with the game trailer above it describes the game, the concept and really what its all about, but with all this information it does raise a few concerns.

First my concern is the  gameplay aspects of the game. Its said that you can control both Jodie Holmes(Ellen Page) and her entity that is connected with her, Aiden. My concern about this aspect is how the game will work both of these concepts together and for it make sense. Will it be a case that you can always control Aiden or will it only be some missions that you can use it. With a number of game play videos it is quite confusing with actions scenes of Jodie and other aspects showing how you use Aiden, so with a few months still to be release its a game that not everyone is fully certain on the actual gaming aspects of the game. 

Another big concern is the span of the story for the game. The plot is based around Jodie Holmes and you will take her through a journey from the age of 5 to 23. What concerns me about this, is the fact that that is a lot of years of a lot of again confusing gameplay. It sounds like this could be a great story and would stand brilliantly with a good movie but a game? It is a tad iffy in my view. It could turn out to be amazing for sure but everything ive seen so far just looks like a good story and how the gameplay will work with the story is my biggest concern with this game. The video above shows like a number of different Jodies, for example the young girl to the Gothic themed and then the early twenties. What i want to know is how the actual gameplay will work with this large scale of the developing character. Sure stories within games are becoming bigger hits with AAA titles, like The Last of Us. But the gameplay aspects have to be apparent from the outset and everyone knew with The Last of Us what basic gameplay to expect. With Beyond Two Souls it isnt as clear. 

The game will have Drama, action and a thrilling story, but how the gameplay will make this a good game and not just a story, to me, is unclear. One thing is for sure im really excited about its release and anticipating something great.

Watch the video above and Let me know what you think about Beyond Two Souls and if you have any concerns about the game.

Thanks for reading

ZebruhGaming.

Why you shouldn't miss 'The Last of Us' multiplayer

'The Last of Us' obviously is no doubt the biggest release this year and debated one of the best exclusives on PlayStation to date. With its moving story and amazing character development throughout it truely has merited that accolade to say the least. But after its brilliant story mode that will leave you in shock,have you in tears and leave your jaw firmly placed on the floor for days, you really shouldnt stop the game there.

Most would suspect that with great story based games comes a lazy, repetitive and tiresome mulitplayer and its seen with a number of games, that the online just doesn't cut it. With the likes of Uncharted, Tomb Raider, God of War and more, all bringing outstanding gameplay mechanics and great storylines for the player to experience, but companies are adamant on adding a poor quality online mode that seem like its just been made for the sake of it. Online modes that just dont do the game justice, bringing nothing new to the table making it something we all just overlook.

The Last of Us online takes things to a whole new level of brilliance. It something new, different, innotave and stands along side with the story as an absolute treat that you shouldnt miss. What makes The Last of Us online so special is that it brings a severe tension for your own survival. Most games you run about like a headless chicken shooting everything in site and running rampage. This is something you cannot do in The Last of Us.

Whats nice about the multiplayer is that it brings a story to your cause. Its not just heres the map, these are the bad guys kill everyone. You have a specific purpose. You choose between a survivor or a firefly and you are given your own clan. This clan is completely AI and you never actually see them but you have to care for them and the game makes it brilliantly that you genuinely care about them. Pete is making toast, awww Pete what ye like. It notifies you what your group are doing while surviving in the camp, letting you know how many are healthy,hungry or sick. So what you have to do is go on supply raids and collect, well, supplies to feed your group and grow your clan. The more survivors you have the more supplies you'll need to get. To get these supplies you enter a 4v4 death match basically and you can collect supplies that are scattered across the map and kill the opposing team members stealing their supplies. If you dont get enough supplies for your group they begin to get hungry then sick and become infected killing off a number of people in your group ... Katie is eating the corpse of Pete, FUCK SAKE KATIE!

Giving more purpose in the game, there is a number of tasks you have to do to avoid deaths within your clan. An example, a massive pack of fireflys are passing by your camp, so now as well as getting supplies in the matches you must either, get between 3-9 downs, revive 5-15 team mates and so on. If you fail to succeed in these tasks, a large percentage of your clan will die. This adds a bigger purpose in the matches you play and again giving you more meaning to the game than just kill the other guys. With The Last of Us you really are fighting for your survival.

As i said, you cant go running around gun blazing here as if you die you're basically giving the opposin team supplies and you're losing your chance to keep your clan healthy. Because of this fact you really do fear for your own life. The game focuses a lot on stealth, movement and catching your opponent off guard. However if you are caught and shot down, you will be left crawling on the ground looking for a team mate to help you before you die. This aspect adds a great sense of danger as you try to crawl away and the opponent chases you down slamming you to the ground and smashing your face with a gun, leaving you in rage and will have you screaming for your life, it really is something extraordinary.


To win and get all the supplies you need you will have to be patient, crafty and smart to out wit your opponent. As, like in the story, you can craft certain items, online is no different you have to find the parts across the map to create bombs and medikits to help you survive and in doing so really creates a special kind of online experience.

 Just like the story it will have you tense throughout the whole match, fearing for, not only your own life, but others within your clan and it is an experience you do not want to miss. So if you have The Last of Us, completed the story or not, multiplayer is something you have to try for yourself. You will not be disappointed.

Interview with 'Falchion Games'

We speak with Ben Burns Co-Founder of 'Falchion Games' on there new upcoming game 'Go To Hell Dave'.

'Go To Hell Dave' is a comical, retro point and click adventure game where the player takes control of the character Dave. You will take Dave on a tour through Hell's 9 floors on this hilarious adventure that cannot be missed. We find out more about the game and why you'll want to explore the not so familiar depths of Hell.

1. Go to Hell Dave as described is a retro point and click adventure game, but how did the this concept come about and what is the story line for the game?

Go to Hell Dave is all about a guy called Dave who crashes his car into a lamp-post whilst driving to the supermarket with his girlfriend. He wakes up at the gates of Hell, but this isn’t hell as anyone knows it. His girlfriend is missing, Satan is nowhere to be seen and Hell has become a dilapidated mess, filled with housing estates, strip clubs and all manner of bizarre and wonderful things.
The concept came about when we decided to start up our own studio and basically just wanted to make fun of British society. We had always had a lot of love for point-and-click adventure games and their naturally comedic tendencies were a logical choice for lampooning an entire country.


2.What do you think it is about Retro games that people love so much?

I can only really speak for myself, but I often find that the nostalgia factor plays a huge role. There’s something almost comforting about playing something that reminds me of my childhood; a simpler time when I didn’t have to take out the trash or pay council tax.


3. It is said that the game will have a lot of British humour throughout, what style of comedy inspired this within the game?

We’re big fans of classic British comedy such as Red Dwarf, Monty Python and Blackadder. British humour can often be quite surreal and at times, a little dark. But we also love American comedy, particularly some of the awesome animated shows such as Archer and the Boondocks. So we’ve mixed it up a bit and tried to be imaginative whilst also using references that people (particularly geeks and gamers) will chuckle at.

4 As its said to be British comedy do you think this type of comedy is universal to more than just the UK?

I’ve always felt that humour is universal. There are certain elements of human life that anybody, anywhere experiences. This is especially true in an age when we’re all constantly connected. Comedy is certainly subjective, but I think that when you have compelling characters and cool locations to explore, the humour comes organically from within the context of the setting.



5.The art style for Go to Hell Dave is a very nice cartoon style, was this to fit in with the comical type of game that it is?

Absolutely. The cartoony art-style juxtaposes really nicely with the often harsh locales that one would expect when exploring the underworld and enables us to maintain an overtone of humour, without sacrificing on the badass.


6. On the prototype videos the character of Dave does have voice acting, will all other character within the game have voice acting and, if so, are you looking to get a number of people doing them or do you plan to do it yourself?

Yes. We are currently in the process of casting all of the NPCs and we have already got some excellent talent on-board, including professional actors who have performed in box-office hits such as ‘Prometheus’ and ‘Jack and the Giant Slayer.’

7.There is mixed views on how it can be a difficult process in creating a game independently, how do you feel about development cycle in creating your game?

It certainly isn’t a walk in the park. We’ve had to sacrifice a lot just to keep working on the game and we still haven’t paid ourselves a salary. But we’ve had a lot of support from friends and family and (perhaps most importantly) from the gaming community. When you know people are excited about your game and you know that you have a fun game in the works, that is more than enough to drive you onwards.


8. Except from the obvious point and click aspect of the game will there be any other game mechanics in the game the player can look forward to?

We have some cool ideas in the works. I don’t want to say too much at this early stage but we intend to implement RPG-style combat, but not in the way anyone would expect and it will be purely optional and not even slightly serious.


9. Go to Hell Dave will also have 9 levels of Hell, What kind of level design and places will the player have to explore?

The nine levels will include a council estate, a country club, a Pokémon-style world of stamp collecting and battling and a boring sewer level (because every game has to have one.)

10. The game will be available on Steam, will it be available for any other type of platform in the future?
We hope to port it to Mac and Linux and we would love to get it on PSN or XBL. We’re also looking into the possibility of Android and Ouya. At the end of the day, we just want people to have access to our game and have fun playing it. So any platform that makes that happen is a possibility for us.


11. Go to Hell Dave will be going on to Kickstarter soon, if funded what is the money going towards for the game?

Amongst other things, the main bulk of the money will go towards paying our artists and voice actors, upkeep of our office and any publishing expenses. Pretty standard stuff really.


12. Some Kickstarters have numerous Tiers in which someone can give more money to back the game, have the team looked into what the Tiers will be like and will there be any benefits of backing more?

Yes. We intend to have some pretty cool tiers ranging from basic game packages that may include t-shirts, soundtrack or art-books. Right up to tiers that will enable you to send us pictures of yourself to be drawn, animated and put in the game as an NPC.

And Thats everything we have today from 'Falchion Games' be sure to check out the progress on the game with videos, art and more about Dave below:

From the office of Falchion Games: Go To Hell Dave

Steam: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=109393605&searchtext
Fb: http://www.facebook.com/GoToHellDave
W: http://www.gotohelldave.co.uk/

T: https://twitter.com/GoToHellDave

Thanks very much for Reading

ZebruhGaming

For more updates on Gaming new, Reviews and Indie Games follow me on twitter and more

http://zebruhgaming.blogspot.co.uk/p/contact.html

Premier Disaster

Premier Disaster was my first ever creation. My 1st year project consisting of myself, and 2 programmers. I created all the art work and Steven the programmer helped a lot with the the videos and trailers to make the game intro's etc look awesome.

 Premier Disaster is a Tower defence game that was to be created to the specification of a cinema based game. We decided to create the whole game cinema themed. The player is the key in defending a premier of a film where all the best actors and idols in the world are gathered. The famous names included are Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, Chuck Norris,  Morgan Freeman and Justin Bieber. As you may have noticed the artwork for the characters are on the outside of this text. The player must use the popcorn shooters and more to stop crazed fans and paparazzi that are trying to get to the biggest celebrities. There are three    levels of the game and the fans get faster and stronger

 meaning you need to use  the towers efficiently to make them most effective. 

The video here shows all the towers you can use and what you need to do in the game in a power point format.

OZ

In my 2nd year at Cali we were to create a 2D platform game based on one of the short novels in the book 'SUM' by David Eagleman. Thus 'OZ' was created. Within the short story of “OZ” in the novel 'SUM'  you are given the chance to meet your creator however you must overcome various obstacles including : Fear , Self-doubt and Self-Pity, this gave us the start of our game and we used this concept. We used three characters in the movie OZ; The Lion, Tin Man and The Scarecrow, the player had to switch between characters to progress through the level. For instance The Scarecrow cant defeat enemies due to 'Fear' so you must switch to The Lions to beat the enmies and there are various platforms that character cannot stand on creating a challenging game as you have to know which character to switch to to progress in the level.

As in the Novel this journey is not a pleasant one, all the levels were created to a dark atmosphere to give a sense of terror and that this is a nightmare scenario. The levels were created on tiler and it was a difficult project for the team as it was software that no one had used before but we worked with what we had and the end product was ok to say the least.

Have a look at the video to see our trailer with some gameplay aspects.

Thanks for reading

ZebruhGaming

Interview with 'T-Go Co Games'

Today we speak with Jon Evans the founder of T-Go Co Games creating a strategy mobile game coming soon to IOS and Android. We find out everything about the game and what you can expect when its released. 

1. For the people who don't know, who does T-Go Co games consist of and how did the team come together?

T-Go Co Games was originally just myself with artwork provided by my brother. I started the company while I was finishing university as I had always wanted to make games and the mobile market seemed to have brought back the days when just a few people could work together to make games and actually make a living doing it.

I made my first game (War Machines) just to see if I could make a game. I hadn't done any coding in Objective-C, but I downloaded Xcode and followed a book by Ray Wenderlich called "Learning Cocos2D", and in a few months I had something playable. I wasn't really intending on releasing it, but I decided that it was good enough to warrant having my brother make some art for me and to actually get it out on the app store.

Aside from learning the actual process of creating and submitting a game, I think the biggest thing I took away from this initial experience was that marketing was incredibly important to being successful. I read somewhere that being successful with a game was 1/3 about the game itself, 1/3 marketing, and 1/3 luck. That seems about right to me, yet I still see a lot of indies not marketing their games. It's not necessarily what everyone wants to be doing, but you have to do it if you want to succeed!

This has led me to my current position where I have found talented people to help me make the games that I want to make (and play!), so I can offload some of the development work (and all of the artwork, since I have zero artistic talent!) and spend more time designing and marketing. I've actually spent more time marketing than I had initially wanted to, but I know how important it is so I make sure to keep it up.

The current team consists of myself, Martin Nanni (producer), Ivan Stur (art director), Senshi Antares (texture artist, UI artist), Leandro Wainberg (developer).

2. Diesel Tactics is the new up coming game from T-Go Co Games but are there any other games that have been created in the past that perhaps people aren't aware of? 

As I mentioned, the only game I've made before (that was released anyway!) is War Machines for iOS devices.

3. As i said Diesel Tactics is the new game in development, what is the game about and how did the idea come around?

Diesel Tactics is an asynchronous, turn based, tactical game with an army building component. Wow, that's a mouthful!

The game was inspired primarily by Hero Academy and tabletop games like Warhammer 40k and Dust Tactics.

                               

4. What inspired you in creating Diesel Tactics to be turn based strategy game?

I love tactical games like Hero Academy, but my main issue with it was the random aspect of how you get units and items to use, and the fact that each army had a set deck of those units and items. I wanted a game just like that, but where I could also build my army in the same way that you do in Warhammer and Dust Tactics. I love that aspect of those games (and similarly the deck building aspect of CCGs) as I feel creating your army is like a game by itself and also lets you play the combat portion of the game in a way that you want to.

Something that we want to do with Diesel Tactics is to let players play the game how they want to. They can build a fast, mobile army that can outmaneuver their opponents, or they can make an army of big, tough, hard hitting, but slow units, or anything in between!

5. You discuss on tgocogames.com that you have always had a love for board games bringing the strategy of board games to mobile devices, What created the passion you have for board games and do you have a favourite board game you play?

When I was pretty young I remember being introduced to the board game Talisman, which was a step up in complexity from the games that I was used to playing, and just thinking it was awesome! The fact that the characters were actually different from each other (unlike, say, Monopoly), the idea that you could actually improve your character as you played, and the concept that skill had more to do with things than luck, were all things that made me realize how deep and interesting a board game could be.

I remember after that that I always wanted to modify rules or add new ones to all the games I played, as I often felt things didn't work well (even if it was just the fact that I didn't really understand their purpose as a kid!) and I wanted to make it more like the game I wanted to play.

When mobile gaming came around I saw a real possibility to make games like all the ones that I loved growing up (with my own twist on things of course!), and I think other people are realizing the same thing as so many games are coming out that are translations of board games. I actually had on my list of games that I wanted to make was something like Warhammer Quest since I thought it would translate amazingly to mobile devices, and it turns out I was right!

My current favourite board games are Dust Tactics and a bit of a silly one (but great to play with a few drinks!) called Dungeon Fighter.

6. What happens on a daily development cycle for Diesel Tactics?

Wow, this one really depends on the day! Most days right now are dealing with creating our menus and in game UI system, implementing the code for the combat system, advertising our game through social media (and doing interviews!), finalizing the animations for the units, and a lot of tweaking and changes as we see things come together! I'm basically involved in everything, so my days are generally all over the place, which is nice as it keeps me busy.

7. Diesel Tactics is a game you can play against other players over IOS and Andriod, how does this concept work and how will it differ from the offline modes?

Well, first of all, Diesel Tactics won't have an offline mode! Just like Hero Academy (and a lot of other asynchronous games), there is only an online mode.

The game works just like any other asynchronous turn based game (like Hero Academy or Words With Friends) where you play multiple simultaneous games and you have a few days to input turns. The big difference with Diesel Tactics is that it uses a WeGo combat system. This is because the game has a random chance element that a lot of asynchronous games do not. For example, when you shoot at someone you have a percent chance to hit and to wound them. We can't let the player know whether they hit or not until after they submit all of their attacks as they can undo moves and redo them until they are satisfied with their orders. Because of this we let both players input their attack orders, and only then do we calculate who hit who and who died. All attacks from both sides happen at the same time (though the initiative of the units themselves matters!), which is why it's called a WeGo combat system: it's not "I go then you go", but "we go!"

8. There are thousands and thousands of mobile games available in store. How does Diesel Tactics differ from other mobile games to avoid it being overlooked?

I've honestly looked for years and have yet to find a game with asynchronous turn based tactical combat AND army building. Forget about something like that with a WeGo combat system!

Also, as I said earlier, marketing is something that matters so much for this exact reason. There are thousands of apps out there, so you've gotta make sure people know about yours! I put a lot of time into advertising and marketing and I'm hoping that we're slowly getting into the general gaming zeitgeist. I feel that once we have some gameplay videos and a couple trailers that we can really start getting the word out!

9. Will T-Go Co games always just be about mobile games or will it ever venture into any other platforms?

We'd love to get into games on Mac and PC (and maybe other platforms!) soon, and in fact one of the things we want to do for our (possible) Kickstarter campaign is to have Diesel Tactics come out on those platforms as well. The biggest plus of mobile gaming is the low barrier to entry, though that has dropped dramatically for Mac and PC recently, so having our game out on them is a definite possibility!

10. After Diesel Tactics is there any other games that your looking to develop and what is the next step for T-Go Co Games?

Once the game is released the plan is to add more nations (teams) to the game. We're starting with 2 and would like to have at least 4-5.

While we are doing that we will likely begin work on our next project, which I'm not sure what it will be yet, but we have a bunch of ideas on the table!

Id like to thank T-Go Co games doing the interview with myself and you can check out all there social media below:

Website : http://www.tgocogames.com/

Twitter : https://twitter.com/TGoCoGames

Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/tgocogames?fref=ts

I hope you enjoyed the interview guys and be sure to check out the company and the development on the game. 

Thanks for Reading 

Check back for more indie developers and other gaming news,

ZebruhGaming

Why gamers love Retro Video Games

Square Pixalated graphics, little to no voice overs, bland story line with little innovation, its a strange affair why us gamers love old games, but we do. There is something about retro games that make us gamers giddy at heart, but why do we love them so much? And why do retro themed titles like Hotline Miami, Super Meatboy and Fez still make it within an industry focused on compelling story lines and outstanding graphics?

Well as i raise this question i understand there is no definitive answer. There are a number of reasons why people love retro games and the spec for classifying what a retro game is can be quite large so it is difficult to cover every aspect. However there are a number of points I intend to cover to why we love these games as much as we do.

                                           (Photo taken at Scottish Game Jam 2013)

 An aspect of why we love retro games is because the amount of passion that actually goes into making them a worthy experience. Now thats not to say that current gen developers dont have a passion for what they're doing. Its a sense that games like 'The Last of Us' will have loads of people working on it, a number of peoples views on the development of the game and they have deadlines to be met with the company they are working for overlooking everything that they do, to make sure its done to there standard. With this there doesnt seem to be a lot of room for personal involvement in creating the game and it can be said what the company care for, are sales and how much money they can make. However with retro games, it is usually a small based team that can put there heart into it and put all there personal feelings into the game. They work for themselves and if there happy with what there doing thats that. With small teams working for themselves there is a bigger sense of risk, they put the things that they will enjoy in the hopes that others will. They know the benefits of the money side of things but create the game more on hobby based terms and sharing an experience with others and this is something that we appreciate greatly. I think a number of people are aware of what goes into creating a game and the difficulties it brings and we appreciate the fact that 2-4 people have came together to create a fun experience for us to enjoy.

Taking a trip down memory lane. There is something about the new retro themed games with there 8 bit graphics, that take us back to a time when blowing on the game cartridge was a legit way to solve any freezing issues and hundreds of tangled wires behind the TV that we gamers miss and love. It reminds us of when we were young and everything that games meant to us. So as games have developed and they keep, in essence, to there roots, we cant help but be in awe as a square man jumps about a 2D platform.

Borderlands DLC out soon; DLC coming to Bioshock; New patch for Aliens: Colonial Marines; Mario Nintendo 64 patch? Not quite. Something that happens near enough with every game is downloadable content that either adds extra to the already 'finished' game, or a patch that is suppose to fix various areas of the game. This is something that gamers have learned to accept, but why? Back in the day when a game released it was finished. It was a complete experience and we would play that over and over again. The next we would actually here something about the game being released was the sequel to the previous one. Thats not to say that with the DLC's that come out for current gen games that we dont enjoy them. Its the patches that are, in my opinion, the most irritating and the fact that games that get released are generally not finished. An example would be The Walking Dead telltale game an amazing game that received a number of awards for being that good. However when released on disc with all the episode, its buggy, at times jumpy and slow and we accept it. Reviews brush by the these facts stating everything amazing about it despite some minor bugs. But why have we grown accustom to these faults in a game?  That is a reason why people love retro games, its finished. Its the experience that the developer intended for you to have with nothing to add. A complete experience for you to enjoy.

Press A to open door, Grapple highlighted objects, Follow the yellow brick road. The challenge and mystery within current gen games seems to be lost. A number of people miss the challenge of learning things themselves and a case of not being carried through a story. There is an obvious reason why current gen games do what they do, they want you to follow the story and progress with each cut scene that comes but to do that they may have to highlight various things so you dont fall off track. But some gamers hate that. Most want to be thrown into the world and to learn everything themselves. It gives the player a sense of achievement and takes them through the emotions as they get to there goal. Super Meatboy again a perfect example you play the game you learn and enjoy, similar to Mario and Megaman, you play you learn what you do and enjoy the experience. Even if half way through the experience you lose your shit and throw controllers off walls, gamers are an insane bunch for a challenge. With Hotline Miami you will die a million times before you learn yourself what you have to do to get to your goal, and when you do it there is a brilliant sense of relief and accomplishment. Where as current gen games after failing a few times or waiting about not knowing what to do, you'll probably get a hint of some sort to push you in the right direction which can put a downer on the experience.



All these aspects discussed are purely opinion based. Some people may hate retro games fuck knows why, but there is something special about these old fashioned games that we love and will always have a place in our heart for years to come. Be it nostalgia or the difficulty of the game there are a number of reasons why they leave a print on our lives, whatever the reason there's nothing truer than the fact they mean something to us and they are gems to be cherished for a long time to come.


So why do you love Retro games? Let me know in the comments.

Thanks for reading


ZebruhGaming

You can follow me on twitter and Google + for updates on everything i post.

https://twitter.com/gmasson1


Id also like to thank the people that contributed through my post on Google+ to get a broad outlook of retro games, it is much appreciated.

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Interview With 'The Basement Studios'

Today we have an interview with a Small Indie development team creating a different kind of game that is fun, innovative and most certainly addictive.

The Basement Studios have been hard at work creating Typocalypse 3D and we get up close and personal exploring various aspects of this sure hit coming to www.Kongregate.com. Enjoy.


1. Firstly for those who don't know, who does 'The Basement Studios' consist of and how did the team form?

Hey! First of all I’d like to thank you Gavin for giving us the opportunity for an interview. We’re a very small indie game development team and we need all the support and exposure we can get.

I’m Andreas Grech, the programmer on the game. With me are Cameron Saliba, the artist and Richard Schembri, the website developer. About six months ago, I started working on a prototype for a typing-shooter game in Unity. A week and a half later, I showed it to Cameron and he was really psyched about it! And that’s when our little indie game dev “company” was born. Roughly two months later, I approached Richard who’s an old schoolmate of ours and told him about the plans I had for a website which would store and display detailed player and game session statistics. He liked the idea and came on board to take charge of this site.



2.The current game in development 'Typocalypse 3D' is currently in the beta stage and will be available on Kongregate.com in the future. How would you describe the game for the readers?
That’s correct. Typocalypse 3D is a typing shooter game which will be released in August, 2013. In the game, you will take the role of a soldier who was assigned to single-handedly defend the stranded army barracks in the middle of nowhere.

To fight off the countless waves of zombies (yup, there are zombies), you must correctly type the word above their heads and this will down them. But you must also make use of the powerups that periodically drop in the field. There are currently four powerups in the game; Slow Time, Landmines, Rapid Fire and C4.

The Slow Time powerup slows time itself, allowing you to handle the incoming zombie waves better. Rapid Fire makes the player go berserk, killing the nearest zombies instantly...while also slowing down time. Landmines and C4 on the other hand are explosives which are dropped on the field. The landmines detonate on enemy impact and the C4 are detonated manually by typing the word above the explosive. Both do area damage to nearby zombies. There are three difficulties in the game, varying from a slow typer to a typing wizard, so anyone can take a stab at it to measure their typing skills.


3. 'Typocalypse 3D' isn't the kind of game you usually see today and it is very original. How did the team come about the creation of the game?

Back in 2010, my friend Marc Tanti and I attended a two-day XNA course at our local university, and for the second day the instructor told us to come up with a small XNA game; so we teamed up, rushed to my basement, and in ~15 hours we came up with a typing game we called Typocalypse.

Both Marc and I worked on the programming of the game round the clock to try and get as much work done as possible in the few hours that we had. When the gameplay was finished at ~5 in the morning, Marc recorded the sound effects and ambiance and then we left the basement to go and show off our game to the class. Funnily enough, we were then too tired the following day (we slept in class) and ended up not demoing the game after all...but I digress.

And so, as my first project in Unity, I chose to “rewrite” my old typing game in 3D...and now we have Typocalypse 3D!

4. The development cycle can be a grinding process, but on a usual day to day basis how does your team go about the development cycle of the game?

All three of us have non-gamedev related day jobs and because of that we have to work nights. Stereotypically enough, we “operate” from a basement and thus it was very appropriate to name our team that. Working in a basement has its benefits; for starters, we can immerse ourselves working on the game without any social distractions from the outside. In fact, the only time we need to leave the basement is when we need our coffee fix...but that’s only until I manage to acquire some coffee machine to leave in our room.

We meet round 3-4 times a week and try to get as much possible during this time, especially collaborative work (level design, mechanics tweaks and fine tuning, etc...). We start by jotting down on the whiteboard what stuff needs to be finished by that day and then brainstorm the best way to go around it. After every couple of hours we stop for a coffee break and then carry on with the “work”.

We also have a lot of game design sessions where we sit down together on one computer and collaboratively tweak the mechanics of the game for hours on end to make sure that we get things right.


5. 'Typocalypse 3D' is a unity developed game and with unity it can be put on various platforms. In the future is there any plans to make it available for different platforms?

Given the textual and typing nature of the game, it is a bit difficult to port the game to a mobile device (small screen, small keyboard etc...) so for the time being we have no plans of porting the game to other platforms.

Then again, we could always remove the on-screen words and add joystick support with a cross hair to turn it into an Action game ;p


6. Is there any specific kind of games that created an inspiration for the kind of genre that you have developed for?

There is no specific game that was of particular inspiration, apart from the original Typocalypse, but after the idea settled we did some research on the current typing games that are currently on the market to see what’s been going on in the the genre. We found some good typing games, but we also realized that there aren’t actually that many games which focus on this genre specifically, especially games that combine typing skills with action elements.

7. There are a number of zombie games out in the gaming industry and it is a very popular genre. What does your game offer that differs from the others currently in the genre?


In it’s essence, Typocalypse 3D is a typing game but what’s particularly interesting about it is that unlike other games of the genre, it takes more than focused typing to survive. See, the game starts easy enough and you will definitely survive with just your typing skills in the beginning, but as the game gets progressively harder, you will need to make strategic use of the multiple powerups you collect throughout your endurance to survive the waves.

There is some learning curve when it comes to using the powerups strategically due to some induced tunnel effect in the game, but every new powerup you collect is presented with a small instruction panel so that the you understand what the powerup is responsible for and how to use it to your advantage.



8. With the beta version of the game out the players can, for now, only take the role of an 'Endurance' level in essence really a survival mode. What can the players be excited for in the 'Story' mode within game and is there any other modes that will be released?

Exactly, the Endurance mode serves as a battle for the highest score with the leaderboards shown on Kongregate.com. On the other hand, what we have in mind for the Story mode is a rail shooter in which the player moves from area to area clearing waves of multiple enemy types, while at the same progressing on the main story.

It is not yet confirmed if we will work on the Story mode of the game or not, and this all depends on the feedback we get once we release the game with the only the Endurance mode.


9. Apart from 'Typocalypse 3D' is there any other games that The Basement Studios are working on or hoping to work on in the future?

Typocalypse 3D will be the our first game, and after it’s released, we will be working on a new game which we’ll submit for a game development competition here in Malta. The competition is tied to a preset theme, so that will restrict us a bit...but I’m sure we’ll come up with something which is, hopefully, both fun to play and interesting as well, whatever that may be.

During a coffee-driven and sleep deprived week, we came up with a Unity joystick-supported local multiplayer coop prototype for the new game, which we’re hoping we’ll be able to use for this competition.


10. Aside from being hard at work in developing the game, how does the team like to relax in their spare time?

When we want to take a break from the game, we usually stop to make some coffee and then either watch some standup comedy or play some games. This gives us time to clear our heads and be able to come up with new ideas for our game (thinking outside the box and all that...).

All in all though, we actually consider the time we spend working on the game as a break from everything else, including the day job and other real life responsibilities. That makes us appreciate more how lucky we are to be working in such an industry.

This is a wee extra for the fans who are already following the development of the game and would like to know more about the people behind the creation. We asked there hobbies, there favorite game and a genre they'd like to see more in the gaming industry.


Andreas Grech, the programmer.

Hobbies: Programming and Music.

Fav game: Uplink

More genre expansion: Local coop multiplayer games


Cameron Saliba, the artist.

Hobbies: Playing games on the PS3

Fav game: Uncharted

More genre expansion: Action-JRPG games.


Richard Schembri, the website developer.

Hobbies: Boxing, drawing and motorcycle riding.

Fav game: No More Heroes series

More genre expansion: RTS on mobile platforms



Id Like to thank The Basement Studios for taking the time out there busy schedule to participate with the interview. Be sure to check out the game you wont be disappointed and who doesnt love shooting zombies?...Exactly!


You can for now play the Beta here : http://www.kongregate.com/games/agnt666/typocalypse-3d_preview?guest_access_key=c76fbfc36958b892437d06fd0746cbd985ac8dab69592fe4e1af134c40da8315


You can also 'Like' and 'Follow' The Basement Studios for updates on the release of the game and future projects :

 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebasementstudios

Twitter: https://twitter.com/0xTheBasement

IndieDB: http://www.indiedb.com/company/the-basement-studios

Thanks for reading

ZebruhGaming

Follow me on twitter for more game news, reviews and perhaps more Indie Development Interviews.

https://twitter.com/gmasson1

Xcom: Enemy Unknown Review

Xcom: Enemy Unknown is a tactical piece of art with its 2 turn based gaming style it brings something new and fresh to the table that is difficult, time consuming and very enjoyable.

The game brings you into a world where alien life has took home on earth and there main cause is destruction, this sparks the Xcom mission to rid the world of these extra terrestrials and calm the panic across the globe. You play as the commander and your objective is to control the Xcom squad in killing off the aliens and restore the peace within the world. Your role as the commander is to control basically the whole operation and the completion of the game lies on your shoulders.  Giving out instructions to what the scientists should research next, what the engineers need to make and build for the next project, where to put satellites across the globe to intercept UFO's, these are just a few of the many things you have to control as commander of the Xcom operation. All these aspects are easy to learn but hard to get right. Numerous hours can be spent on putting out satellites and interceptor ships but one small overlook can have a country in panic and this is something that you dont want to happen.

" So it is very important you learn the best tactics..."

With each country having its various benefits to the operation ; more engineers, more scientists, squad members, money, equipment and more, it is futile that you tend to the needs of every country to create a well structure organization. This deems very difficult as anything can go wrong at any given moment. If you decide to take on a mission to wipe out the alien life forms after a UFO crash, deploying your best men, equipping them with the best utilities you have and still fail, the whole operation will be hanging by a thread and it is very difficult to restore peace within the country that you have failed in. So it is very important that you learn the best tactics with the different squad types to stop failure being an option.

" you feel a strange attachment to these characters ... "





Tactics and soldier variety is the real beauty that sets this a side from any other game. Hiring a number of soldiers, all beginning at rookie level, it is your job to take them to the battlefield and promote them through the ranks creating different attributes and abilities for each. With a maximum number of 6, the squad can vary from Heavy, Assault, Support and Marksmen each with there own type of equipment to create a well based squad for any mission. But having variety in soldier isn't enough on the battlefield. Being tactically smart is the key in winning any mission. As you are met with a number of different enemies also with different abilities you have to take a real understanding in how the maneuver on the map and you have to be careful when positioning you squad. You have only two turns to position where you want your soldiers and what to do, one slip up of maneuvering can see one of your best men die on the field and it will leave you heartbroken. That's right, heartbroken. As the game has such depth with the customization of your characters, creating the way they look, how they fight and even renaming them with nicknames you feel a strange attachment to these characters and watching them fall on the battlefield is a tragic event.

" ... they come off dull and you feel no real emotion for them "




The same however can not be said for the supporting cast. As you progress you are met with a number of other characters within the research labs and engineering labs that lead you through the story but they come off dull and you feel no real emotion for them as they dont develop much as individuals. There is also the cliche of the council dictating your every move who seems to be bald man in a dark room that you never see, makes you lose any connection to the supporting cast creating a mundane story at best. 

Nonetheless, Xcom: Enemy Unknown is tactically splendid and will have you sitting for hours putting the world back to its original form and destroying all alien life form reducing the panic across the globe. With a mix of tactics behind the scenes and on the battlefield each aspect will have you satisfied with what youve accomplished outweighing the poor supporting cast and unexciting story, leaving a more than enjoyable game for tactical lovers.

                                                              8 out of 10

Thanks for reading

ZebruhGaming

PlayStation Plus Games of the month JULY

Before buying my PS plus subscription i found it rather difficult to actually find the games on the web that were available for this month. There were a countless number of websites that gave me previous games that were available but nothing very clear on what the new releases were. So after purchasing, i was very pleased with the games and it will be something that i will be buying more regularly i thought i would do a monthly post of the games to look out for with PS plus and the others that are available.

Each month i will show my two favorite games of the month and the others in a list that come out to keep things short n sweet.

XCOM: Enemy Unknown -

This is by far my favorite of the selection from PS plus this month. Its a type of game ive never played before  and its just brilliant. Its a nice tactical game and anyone who likes hard thinking games where u need to out smart your enemy it is something you should consider playing. A real gem in my opinion.



                                         







                                                                                                              Saints Row the Third -


 Fun, stupid, over the top game play creates a fun game worth checking out. The customization you have within the game i thought was very nice and you can create your character to look basically like anything you want. And for the gameplay its generally fucking stupid, but far too much fun to give it a miss.













The others for the month of July include:

PS3

• Battlefield 3
• Uncharted 3
• Payday - The Heist 
• Little big Planet Gokarting
• Catherine
• Demon's Soulds
• ICO & Shadow of the colossus
• Malicious

PsVita

• Uncharted: Golden Abyss
• Gravity Rush
• Sine Mora
• Ninja Gaiden
• Unit 13

Thanks for reading and be sure to check my favorite for August soon.

ZebruhGaming

Follow me on twitter https://twitter.com/gmasson1

Also if anyone wants to add me on Ps3 you can do so by adding 'Hullmate'

 This Blog claims no credit for any images or videos posted unless noted otherwise. Images on this blog are copyright to its respectful owners. If there is an image appearing on this blog that belongs to you and do not wish for it appear on this blog, please E-mail with a link to said image and it will be promptly removed.

Battlefield 3: Where have i been?

I'm sure everyone knows what Battlefield actually is. If you dont, its a first person shooter developed by EA Digital Illusions CE and published by Electronic Arts. It is also the 11th installment of the franchise and was release in 2011.

Now being a 'fan boy' of the Call of Duty franchise ive never really bothered getting into Battlefield and never really gave it a chance. This choice in life is by far my most regretful decision of my past 2 years of gaming. Within the release date of Battlefied 3 (2011-present) i have purchased 3 Call of duty games, as each year they have a new installment, so if we take an average of £40 a game ive spent £120 on Call of Duty alone. Battlefield on the other hand did not use this approach and have only released the one game within that time scale, really because it stands the test of time and there is no need for another installment as dedicated fans and new players like myself are still playing all around the world. This means all this time i could have made one purchase in first person shooters for the past 2 years.

With the Call of duty series i was beginning to buy them each year just hoping it would be as good as the likes of mordern warefare 2 or even world at war, where i spent countless days playing over the summer. But each installment just wore down and that hope was dying off. In recent times of the newest installments ive just not been having fun playing them and find most frustrating and at times tedious. At this point after purchasing Black op 2 on release i felt perhaps i have outgrown games of such a caliber. I felt that maybe first person shooters with online multiplayer just wasnt for me anymore ... until a few days ago.

" it is everything you want from a mulitplayer first person shooter and more."

A few days ago i purchased Battlefield 3 for a whopping £8. I thought i may as well give it go and maybe i can consider it for the next installment coming for Next Gen consoles and it is a refreshing delight. Even in being 2 years old it is everything you want from a multiplayer first person shooter and more. The maps are fun and creative and very spread out almost open world like. The game modes although few of them are just what you need for diversity in gameplay and tactics. It feels like a game you dont just run about crazy in. There is some strategy needed to get the objectives and everything about it is just a well layed out refreshing change from the call of duty franchise. 

" ... such a tense affair that you will be loving every second of."





What also makes this game more fun is the mass destruction and chaos within the games. No other game can you be hiding behind a wall from a tank and the wall explodes and crumbles before your eyes leaving you fully exposed. No other game will you be sitting on a rock camping waiting for the enemy and they fly over head in a helicopter and maul you and everything that surrounds you. Trees fall, objects explode, cover is blown to pieces and it creates such a tense affair that you will be loving every second of. 

Ive only played the game for a few hours and even when i get my assed handed to me its just such a fun experience and it blows my thoughts of call of duty out of the water. If you, like me, are a call of duty 'fan boy' diverse youself and indulge in the temptation of Battlefield 3. I'm living proof you wont regret it.

Thanks for reading

Follow me on twitter https://twitter.com/gmasson1

Also if anyone wants to add me on Ps3 you can do so by adding 'Hullmate'

 This Blog claims no credit for any images or videos posted unless noted otherwise. Images on this blog are copyright to its respectful owners. If there is an image appearing on this blog that belongs to you and do not wish for it appear on this blog, please E-mail with a link to said image and it will be promptly removed.